Fax order acceptance/order settling system

ABSTRACT

It is an object of the present invention to provide a FAX order receiving and placing settlement system, which is cheap and simple, and has high security, wherein, when order acceptance and placement for purchase goods are performed by using facsimile, settlement of account is performed automatically, thereby eliminating the need for the supplier to prepare a bill, send it and confirm the payment, and for the buyer to confirm the bill and to go through the procedure to transfer the amount of money for the purchase goods to the bank account of the supplier. A FAX order receiving and placing settlement service center transmits order information to a supplier&#39;s fax machine, based on order information received from a buyer&#39;s fax machine, requests a settlement organization to perform settlement processing of the account for the purchase goods or services, and returns a report including the settlement processing result to the buyer&#39;s fax machine and the supplier&#39;s fax machine.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a FAX order receiving and placingsettlement system.

BACKGROUND ART

Conventionally, when a buyer such as a retail shop buys purchase goodssuch as goods and raw materials from a supplier such as a wholesaler,the buyer normally sends the order contents including items andquantities of the purchase goods by facsimile (FAX). In this case, thebuyer places an order by allowing his/her fax machine to read an ordersheet on which the order contents are written, and transmit the ordercontents. The supplier accepts the order by receiving the order sheet byhis/her fax machine and reading the order contents printed on a sheet ofpaper.

Such an order receiving and placing system for purchase goods usingfacsimile can convey the order contents more accurately, as comparedwith an order receiving and placing system for purchase goods usingphone, and even when the supplier on the reception side is not in theoffice, placement of order can be performed. Moreover, the buyer canstore the order sheet on which the order contents are printed as anorder record, and the supplier can store the order sheet on which theorder contents are printed by his/her fax machine as an order acceptancerecord. Furthermore, the order receiving and placing system for purchasegoods using facsimile does not require plant and equipment investmentsuch as a computer, and special knowledge such as computer operation,and a security problem does not occur as in the communication using theInternet. Hence, the order receiving and placing system for purchasegoods using facsimile becomes very popular.

In the conventional order receiving and placing system for purchasegoods using facsimile, however, it is necessary for the buyer and thesupplier to settle an account for the purchase goods in the conventionalmanner. Therefore, it is necessary for the supplier to prepare a billfor the purchase goods, and send it to the buyer, or go to the buyer tocollect money. Hence, it is not only troublesome but alsotime-consuming, and increasing the cost such as communication expenses.Further, since the buyer has to go to a branch of a banking facilitysuch as a bank or a shinkin bank to go through the procedure fortransferring the amount of money for the purchase goods to the bankaccount of the supplier, it is not only troublesome but alsotime-consuming, and increasing the cost such as transportation expenses.

Moreover, since the supplier has to sort out and arrange the ordercontents printed on sheets of paper stored as order acceptance recordfor each of the predetermined terms, in order to prepare bills, it isnot only troublesome but also time-consuming. The buyer also has to sortout and arrange the order contents printed on sheets of paper stored asorder record for each of the predetermined terms, for confirming thecontents of the bills, and hence it is not only troublesome but alsotime-consuming. Furthermore, the supplier needs to confirm whether ornot the account has been settled, and hence it is not only troublesomebut also time-consuming.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide a FAX orderreceiving and placing settlement system, which is cheap and simple, hashigh security, and can solve the problems in the conventional orderreceiving and placing system, wherein, when order acceptance andplacement for purchase goods are performed by using facsimile,settlement of account is performed automatically, thereby eliminatingthe need for the supplier to prepare a bill, send it and confirm thepayment, and for the buyer to confirm the bill and to go through theprocedure to transfer the amount of money for the purchase goods to thebank account of the supplier.

According to the present invention, there is provided a FAX orderreceiving and placing settlement system comprising:

(a) a fax machine of a buyer who places an order for purchase goods orservices;

(b) a fax machine of a supplier who receives the order for purchasegoods or services;

(c) a settlement organization which performs settlement processing ofthe account for the purchase goods or services; and

(d) a FAX order receiving and placing settlement service centerconnected to the buyer's fax machine, the supplier's fax machine and thesettlement organization so as to be able to communicate with oneanother,

(e) wherein the FAX order receiving and placing settlement servicecenter transmits order information to the supplier's fax machine basedon order information received from the buyer's fax machine, requests thesettlement organization to perform settlement processing of the accountfor the purchase goods or services, and returns a report including theresult of the settlement processing to the buyer's fax machine and thesupplier's fax machine.

In the FAX order receiving and placing settlement system, the buyer'sfax machine or the supplier's fax machine conforms to the fixed phoneInternet service.

Moreover, in the FAX order receiving and placing settlement system, theFAX order receiving and placing settlement service center comprisesdatabases for storing order reception information, the order placementinformation, and settlement processing results, and transmits a reportincluding the settlement processing results within a predetermined term,to the buyer's fax machine or the supplier's fax machine.

Moreover, in the FAX order receiving and placing settlement system, theFAX order receiving and placing settlement service center comprises abuyer and supplier registration management AP section, for registeringin advance and managing information of a buyer and a supplier who hasdealings with the buyer.

Moreover, in the FAX order receiving and placing settlement system, theFAX order receiving and placing settlement service center comprises aFAX reception processing section and a FAX transmission processingsection, for analyzing fax data in a received order sheet by using anOCR function, and returning the fax data to the buyer's fax machine forconfirmation.

Moreover, in the FAX order receiving and placing settlement system, theFAX order receiving and placing settlement service center comprises aremittance management section, and when the buyer transmits aninstruction relating to cancellation or change of order placement fromthe fax machine or by phone, the FAX order receiving and placingsettlement service center cancels or changes the transaction.

Moreover, in the FAX order receiving and placing settlement system, theFAX order receiving and placing settlement service center comprises aremittance management section, and when the supplier transmits aninstruction relating to cancellation or change of order placement fromthe fax machine or by phone, the FAX order receiving and placingsettlement service center cancels or changes the transaction.

Moreover, in the FAX order receiving and placing settlement system, in acase where the buyer's fax machine conforms to the fixed phone Internetservice, when the buyer transmits fax data on an authority sheet to theFAX order receiving and placing settlement service center, the FAX orderreceiving and placing settlement service center obtains an e-mailaddress of the buyer based on the received phone number, and performsauthentication of the buyer by transmitting an e-mail to the buyer.

Moreover, in the FAX order receiving and placing settlement system, in acase where the buyer's fax machine conforms to the fixed phone Internetservice, and when the buyer transmits fax data on an authority sheet tothe FAX order receiving and placing settlement service center, the FAXorder receiving and placing settlement service center obtains an e-mailaddress of the buyer based on the received phone number, and transmitsan e-mail describing the URL of a Web page, in which an orderer, anordered products, an ordered amount and the like can be input, to thebuyer, and the buyer places an order by inputting the data into the Webpage.

According to present invention, there is also provided a FAX orderreceiving and placing settlement service center comprising:

(a) a reception processing section which receives order information forpurchase goods or services from a buyer's fax machine, analyzes andstores the information in database;

(b) a transmission processing section which transmits the orderinformation for purchase goods or services to a supplier's fax machine;and

(c) a settlement organization communication interface sectioncommunicating with a settlement organization which performs settlementprocessing of the account for the purchase goods or services, (d)wherein the FAX order receiving and placing settlement service centertransmits the order information to the supplier's fax machine based onthe order information, requests the settlement organization to performsettlement processing of the account for the purchase goods or services,and returns a report including the settlement processing result to thebuyer's fax machine and the supplier's fax machine.

Moreover, the FAX order receiving and placing settlement service centermay further comprise a remittance management section which manages themovement of funds based on the settlement processing, and remittancemanagement database for storing the history of the movement of funds.

Moreover, the FAX order receiving and placing settlement service centermay transmit a report including the result of the settlement processingwithin a predetermined term to the buyer's fax machine or the supplier'sfax machine.

According to the present invention, there is also provided a FAX orderreceiving and placing settlement service program which causes a computerto function as:

(a) in order to receive or place an order for purchase goods or servicesand settle the account, (b) a reception processing section whichreceives order information for purchase goods or services from a buyer'sfax machine;

(c) a transmission processing section which transmits the orderinformation for purchase goods or services to a supplier's fax machine;and

(d) a settlement organization communication interface sectioncommunicating with a settlement organization which performs settlementprocessing of the account for the purchase goods or services, in orderto receive or place an order for purchase goods or services and settlethe account,

(e) so that the order information is transmitted to the supplier's faxmachine based on the order information, settlement processing of theaccount for the purchase goods or services is requested to thesettlement organization, and a report including the settlementprocessing result is returned to the buyer's fax machine and thesupplier's fax machine.

According to the present invention, there is also provided a FAX orderreceiving and placing settlement method, comprising steps of:

(a) when order information is received from a fax machine of a buyer whoplaces an order for purchase goods or services,

(b) the order information is transmitted to a fax machine of a supplierwho receives the order for purchase goods or services,

(c) settlement processing of the account for the purchase goods orservices is requested to a settlement organization, and

(d) a report including the settlement processing result is returned tothe buyer's fax machine or the supplier's fax machine.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram of a FAX order receiving and placingsettlement system in a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of a FAX order receiving andplacing settlement service center in the first embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 3 illustrates the operation of the FAX order receiving and placingsettlement system in the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram illustrating the operation of the FAX orderreceiving and placing settlement system in the first embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 5 is a conceptual diagram of a FAX order receiving and placingsettlement system in a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a functional block diagram of a FAX order receiving andplacing settlement service center in the second embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 7 illustrates the operation of the FAX order receiving and placingsettlement system in the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a sequence diagram illustrating the operation of the FAX orderreceiving and placing settlement system in the second embodiment of thepresent invention.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

The embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail,with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram of a FAX order receiving and placingsettlement system in a first embodiment of the present invention.

In the drawings, reference numeral 10 denotes a FAX order receiving andplacing settlement system, 11 denotes a buyer who places an order forpurchase goods, and 13 denotes a supplier who receives the order forpurchase goods. Here, the buyer 11 is a person who buys purchase goodsfrom the supplier 13, and for example, a shop for selling various goods,or may be eating houses such as restaurants or bars, shops for providingservices such as barbershops, offices, or individual persons. Thepurchase goods are goods to be sold at the shop, or may be commoditiesrequired for providing services, for example, food in the eating houses,detergents, cosmetics and scissors in barbershops, or stationeries andoffice machinery consumed or used in the offices or individual houses.Moreover, the purchase goods may be services (labors) such astransportation, cleaning or consigned deskwork. Further, the supplier 13is a person who sells the purchase goods to the buyer 11, and forexample, wholesalers or shops such as retail shops, or may be a personwho manufactures goods, such as a factory, or a person who providesvarious services.

The buyer 11 and the supplier 13 respectively have a buyer's fax machine12 and a supplier's fax machine 14, as the own fax machine. The buyer'sfax machine 12 and the supplier's fax machine 14 may be of any types,and for example, may be a home machine of a dual purpose type used as anormal telephone set and a fax machine, or may be a complex machine inwhich the fax machine is integrated with a copying machine and aprinter. When an interactive voice request (IVR) function is used, thebuyer's fax machine 12 and the supplier's fax machine 14 are apparatushaving a phone function. The buyer's fax machine 12 and the supplier'sfax machine 14 are connected to a public network 15, comprising a wiredor a wireless telephone network.

Reference numeral 40 denotes a banking facility as a settlementorganization for performing settlement of accounts for the purchasegoods, and for example, may be a bank, a shinkin bank or a creditcompany. In the banking facility 40, a buyer's account 41 as an accountof the buyer 11 and a supplier's account 42 as an account of thesupplier 12 are opened, and there is provided an accounting computersystem (not shown) having a communication interface and the like.Requests for financing processing such as money transfer can betransmitted to the accounting computer system, via an ANSER (R) center43 used for automatic answer network system for electrical request(ANSER) (R) for providing services such as fund transfer in the bankingfacility 40. In this case, the ANSER (R) center 43 is a kind of computersystem and functions as a part of the settlement organization.

Reference numeral 20 denotes a FAX order receiving and placingsettlement service center, having a FAX order receiving and placingsettlement service server 21 as a computer, having arithmetic means suchas a CPU or an MPU, memory means such as a semiconductor memory or amagnetic disk, and a communication interface. The FAX order receivingand placing settlement service center 20 provides a FAX order receivingand placing settlement service, in which when the buyer 11 and thesupplier 13 respectively place and receive order for purchase goods byusing the buyer's fax machine 12 and supplier's fax machine 14,settlement of account is automatically performed. The FAX orderreceiving and placing settlement service server 21 may be a singleapparatus, or apparatus such as a dispersed server, in which a pluralityof servers are organically connected. The person who operates the FAXorder receiving and placing settlement service center 20 may be anyone,such as an individual person, a corporate body, an undertaking forprofit, or a public utility corporation, and may be the same person whooperates the banking facility 40.

The person who operates the FAX order receiving and placing settlementservice center 20 makes an agreement relating to the FAX order receivingand placing settlement service with the buyer 11 and the supplier 13 inadvance, and provides the FAX order receiving and placing settlementservice to the buyer 11 and the supplier 13. The person who operates theFAX order receiving and placing settlement service center 20 makes anagreement relating to the settlement of account performed via thebanking facility 40 and the ANSER (R) center 43, beforehand according toneed, so that the FAX order receiving and placing settlement serviceserver 21 can request the settlement of account for the purchase goods,that is, can transmit a request for financial processing such as moneytransfer. In this case, since having obtained permission of the buyer 11and the supplier 13 beforehand, the FAX order receiving and placingsettlement service center 20 can transmit a request for money transferfrom the buyer's account 41 to the supplier's account 42 to theaccounting computer system in the banking facility 40, via the ANSER (R)center 43.

From the viewpoint of function, the FAX order receiving and placingsettlement service server 21 comprises a bank interface (I/F) section 22as a communication interface section in the settlement organization, aFAX transmission processing section 23 as a transmission processingsection, a FAX reception processing section 24 as a reception processingsection, a remittance information output section 25, an IVR section 26,a buyer and supplier registration management AP (Application Program)section 27, a remittance management section 28, and a remittancemanagement AP section 29. The FAX order receiving and placing settlementservice server 21 is connected to a FAX storage database 31, a remittingcompany database 32, a receiving company database 33 and a remittancemanagement database 34, which are included in the FAX order receivingand placing settlement service center 20. The FAX storage database 31,the remitting company database 32, the receiving company database 33 andthe remittance management database 34 may be independent of the FAXorder receiving and placing settlement service server 21, or may bearranged in the FAX order receiving and placing settlement serviceserver 21.

The bank I/F section 22 is an interface for transmitting a transferrequest to the accounting computer system in the banking facility 40 viathe ANSER (R) center 43, and converts a format for the internal systemof the FAX order receiving and placing settlement service server 21 intoa format for an external system such as the ANSER (R) center 43. The FAXtransmission processing section 23 prepares a report for the buyer 11,an order sheet to the supplier 13 and the like, and transmits the reportand the order to the buyer's fax machine 12 and the supplier's faxmachine 14, respectively, by fax. Moreover, the FAX reception processingsection 24 receives an order sheet as order information transmitted fromthe buyer's fax machine 12 by fax, analyzes and stores as data thecontents in the order sheet.

The remittance information output section 25 transmits the order sheetwith respect to the supplier 13 to the supplier's fax machine 14, andthen prepares a report, as a report including the order contents and thesettlement processing result for the ordered purchase goods, for eachorder receiving and placing processing and for each of the predeterminedterms, and transmits the report by fax to the buyer's fax machine 12 andthe supplier's fax machine 14. The predetermined term is a termdetermined for accounting and settlement of account, for example, onemonth, three months or six months, and the remittance information outputsection 25 prepares the report at the end of each term, and transmitsthe report. The IVR section 26 automatically responds by speech toinquiries by phone from the buyer 11 and the supplier 13 relating tochange or cancellation of a transaction.

The buyer and supplier registration management AP section 27 registersand manages the information of the buyer 11 and the supplier 13 who hasdealings with the buyer 11. The remittance management section 28 managesall histories of movement of funds by financial processing such as moneytransfer. The remittance management AP section 29 is operated by theperson who operates or manages the FAX order receiving and placingsettlement service center 20 to cancel or change the financialprocessing such as money transfer. Moreover, the history of movement offunds can be searched or referred to by using the remittance managementAP section 29.

The FAX storage database 31 stores fax data (image data) in the ordersheet and the order contents as order information. Here, the ordercontents include the ordered data, the item and the number of theordered purchase goods, the amount and the like, which are obtained bythe FAX reception processing section 24 by analyzing and extracting thecontents in the order sheet. The remitting company database 32 storesthe information of the buyer 11, such as a phone number of the buyer'sfax machine 12, the account number of the buyer's account 41 opened inthe banking facility 40, the password and the like. The receivingcompany database 33 stores the information of the supplier 13 registeredbeforehand as a supplier from whom the respective buyers 11 buy purchasegoods, that is, a phone number of the supplier's fax machine 14 and theaccount number of the supplier's account 42 opened in the bankingfacility 40. The remittance management database 34 stores all historiesof movement of funds by the financial processing such as money transfer.

The relationship between the respective functional sections in the FAXorder receiving and placing settlement service center 20 will bedescribed below.

FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the FAX order receiving andplacing settlement service center in the first embodiment of the presentinvention.

As shown in FIG. 2, in the FAX order receiving and placing settlementservice center 20 in this embodiment, the remittance management section28 performs the principal function, and transmits/receives informationdirectly with all functional sections excluding the remittanceinformation output section 25 and the buyer and supplier registrationmanagement AP section 27. The bank I/F section 22 transmits/receivesinformation relating to the financial transactions such as moneytransfer with the ANSER (R) center 43, and transmits/receives theinformation with the remittance management section 28. The IVR section26 transmits/receives voice signals to/from telephone sets of the buyer11 and the supplier 13 via the public network 15, and transmits/receivesvarious information to/from the remittance management section 28. TheFAX transmission processing section 23 receives data from the remittancemanagement section 28, to prepare reports for the buyer 11 and thesupplier 13 and an order sheet with respect to the supplier 13, andtransmits the prepared reports and order sheet to the buyer's faxmachine 12 and the supplier's fax machine 14 via the public network 15.The FAX reception processing section 24 receives the order sheet fromthe buyer's fax machine 12 via the public network 15, and transmits dataobtained by analyzing the contents in the order sheet to the remittancemanagement section 28.

The remittance management section 28 accesses the FAX storage database31, the remitting company database 32, the receiving company database 33and the remittance management database 34, to obtain and store necessaryinformation. The remittance information output section 25 accesses theremittance management database 34 to obtain the history of movement offunds by the financial processing such as money transfer. Moreover, thebuyer and supplier registration management AP section 27 accesses theremitting company database 32 to store and register the information ofthe buyer 11, and accesses the receiving company database 33 to storeand register the information of the supplier 13 who has dealings withthe buyer 11.

The operation of the FAX order receiving and placing settlement system10 having the above configuration will be described below.

FIG. 3 illustrates the operation of the FAX order receiving and placingsettlement system in the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG.4 is a sequence diagram illustrating the operation of the FAX orderreceiving and placing settlement system in the first embodiment of thepresent invention.

At first, the buyer 11 registers in advance the information such as aphone number of the buyer's fax machine 12, an account number of thebuyer's account 41 opened in the banking facility 40, the password andthe like in the FAX order receiving and placing settlement servicecenter 20. The supplier 13 from which the buyer 11 buys purchase goodsalso registers in advance the information such as a phone number of thesupplier's fax machine 14, and an account number of the supplier'saccount 42 opened in the banking facility 40 in the FAX order receivingand placing settlement service center 20. In this case, explanation willbe given, assuming that the buyer 11 is a bakery, and the supplier 13 isa manufacturer and wholesaler of bread.

The buyer 11 writes the items, the number and the amount of the purchasegoods to be ordered in an order sheet 16 and allows the buyer's faxmachine 12 to read the contents. The order sheet 16 is preferably anorder sheet in which the name of the supplier 13 as an orderdestination, blocks for filling the item, the number and the amount ofthe purchase goods are printed in a predetermined format beforehand.Subsequently, the buyer 11 operates the buyer's fax machine 12 to inputthe phone number of the FAX order receiving and placing settlementservice center 20 and transmit the fax. Then, as shown by arrow 1 inFIG. 3, the fax data on the order sheet 16 is transmitted to the FAXorder receiving and placing settlement service center 20 via the publicnetwork 15. As a result, the buyer 11 can place the order for thepurchase goods. The buyer 11 may select the date when the money transferis to be executed, by filling the date in the order sheet 16.

Subsequently, in the FAX order receiving and placing settlement servicecenter 20, when the FAX order receiving and placing settlement serviceserver 21 receives the fax data on the order sheet 16, the FAX receptionprocessing section 24 reads and analyzes the contents in the order sheet16 by using an optical character reader (OCR). The fax data and theorder contents in the order sheet 16 are stored in the FAX storagedatabase 31, as shown by arrow 2 in FIG. 3. In this case, it is desiredthat the FAX reception processing section 24 perform error check for thecontents in the order sheet 16 read and analyzed by using the OCR. Afterthe error check, the FAX reception processing section 24 may reply tothe buyer's fax machine 12 for confirmation of the contents in the ordersheet 16 read and analyzed by using the OCR. The IVR section 26 mayinform the buyer 11 of the reception of the fax data on the order sheet16 by speech, when the buyer 11 selects this.

The FAX order receiving and placing settlement service server 21 adds anorder number for each buyer 11 to the fax data on the order sheet 16.The fax data and the order contents in the order sheet 16 are stored inthe FAX storage database 31 together with the information of the ordernumber, the received date and time, and the like. As a result, the buyer11 can search the order sheet 16 stored in the FAX storage database 31by specifying the order number. Moreover, according to need, the ordersheet 16 can be returned to the buyer's fax machine 12.

The FAX order receiving and placing settlement service server 21accesses the remitting company database 32 to specify the buyer 11, asshown by arrow 3 in FIG. 3, based on the phone number of the buyer's faxmachine 12, which has transmitted the fax data on the order sheet 16.The FAX order receiving and placing settlement service center 20 alsoobtains the information such as the account number of the buyer'saccount 41 opened in the banking facility 40 and the password, from theremitting company database 32. Further, the FAX order receiving andplacing settlement service server 21 specifies the supplier 13 based onthe name of the supplier 13 described on the order sheet 16, and asshown by arrow 4 in FIG. 3, accesses the receiving company database 33to obtain the information such as the account number of the supplier'saccount 42 opened in the banking facility 40, and the phone number ofthe supplier's fax machine 14.

Subsequently, the FAX order receiving and placing settlement serviceserver 21 transmits the fax data on the order sheet 16, as shown byarrow 5 in FIG. 3, to the supplier's fax machine 14 via the publicnetwork 15. The supplier's fax machine 14 issues an order sheet 16 onwhich the order contents are printed. As a result, the supplier 13accepts the order for the purchase goods.

The FAX order receiving and placing settlement service server 21specifies the price of the purchase goods from the order sheet 16, andtransmits a transfer request for the amount corresponding to the pricefrom the buyer's account 41 to the supplier's account 42, as shown byarrow 6 in FIG. 3, to the banking facility 40 via the ANSER (R) center43. Information such as the account number and the password of thebuyer's account 41, and the account number of the supplier's account 42is also added to the transfer request. As a result, as shown by arrow 7in FIG. 3, in the banking facility 40, the amount corresponding to theprice of the purchase goods is transferred from the buyer's account 41to the supplier's account 42.

Subsequently, the FAX order receiving and placing settlement serviceserver 21 obtains the result of the fund transfer via the ANSER (R)center 43, as shown by arrow 7′ in FIG. 3, and accesses the remittancemanagement database 34 to store the information relating to the movementof fund by the transfer from the buyer's account 41 to the supplier'saccount 42, as shown by arrow 8 in FIG. 3. The information includes theorder number of the order sheet 16, the name of the buyer 11 as aremitter, the name of the supplier 13 as a receiver, the date and time(normally the date and time when the order sheet 16 is received from thebuyer's fax machine 12, or the date and time when the order sheet 16 istransmitted to the supplier's fax machine 14), the transferred amount,and items such as summary. Subsequently, the FAX order receiving andplacing settlement service server 21 prepares a report including theorder contents in the order sheet 16 and the settlement processingresult for the ordered purchase goods, and as shown by arrow 9 in FIG.3, transmits the report to the buyer's fax machine 12 via the publicnetwork 15. The report includes the transmission status of the ordersheet 16, the order contents, the name of the supplier 13, the date andtime when the transaction has occurred, the transfer result, and itemssuch as summary. The IVR section 26 may inform the buyer 11 of thecontents in the report by speech. Further, a report similar to thisreport may be transmitted to the supplier's fax machine 14.

The FAX order receiving and placing settlement service server 21prepares a report including the order contents and the settlementprocessing result for the ordered purchase goods for each of thepredetermined terms, and as shown by arrows 10 and 11 in FIG. 3,transmits the report to the buyer's fax machine 12 and the supplier'sfax machine 14 via the public network 15. In this case, the report isprepared and transmitted at the end of the predetermined term, forexample, one month, three months or six months, for accounting andsettlement of account. The report to the buyer 11 includes the name ofthe supplier 13, the date and time when the transaction has occurredwithin the term, the transfer result, and items such as summary. Thereport to the supplier 13 includes the name of the buyer 11, the dateand time when the transaction has occurred within the term, the transferresult, and items such as summary.

When cancellation of order or change in the order contents, that is,cancellation or change of the transaction is to be made due to somecircumstances, the buyer 11 can transmit an instruction relating to thecancellation or change of the transaction at any time, as shown by arrow12 in FIG. 3, from the buyer's fax machine 12 to the FAX order receivingand placing settlement service server 21. In this case, the buyer 11needs to specify the transaction by the order number. It is desired thatthe remittance management section 28 in the FAX order receiving andplacing settlement service server 21 make cancellation or change of thetransaction, after having obtained the approval of the supplier 13. Thebuyer 11 may inform the IVR section 26 of the instruction relating tothe cancellation or change of the transaction by speech.

Likewise, the supplier 13 can transmit an instruction relating to thecancellation or change of the transaction at any time, as shown by arrow13 in FIG. 3, from the supplier's fax machine 14 to the FAX orderreceiving and placing settlement service server 21. In this case, thesupplier 13 needs to specify the transaction by the order number. It isdesired that the remittance management section 28 in the FAX orderreceiving and placing settlement service server 21 make cancellation orchange of the transaction, after having obtained the approval of thebuyer 11. The supplier 13 may inform the IVR section 26 of theinstruction relating to the cancellation or change of the transaction byspeech.

The sequence diagram in FIG. 4 will be described below.

-   Step S1 The buyer 11 transmits the order sheet 16 to the FAX order    receiving and placing settlement service center 20 by the buyer's    fax machine 12.-   Step S2 Store the received order sheet 16.-   Step S3 Specify the buyer 11 based on the phone number of the    buyer's fax machine 12, being a FAX sender.-   Step S4 Obtain information such as the account number of the buyer's    account 41 and the password.-   Step S5 Specify the supplier 13 from the order sheet 16.-   Step S6 Obtain information such as the account number of the    supplier's account 42.-   Step S7 Transmit the order sheet 16 of the buyer 11 to the    supplier's fax machine 14.-   Step S8 Specify the fund to be transferred from the order sheet 16.-   Step S9 Request a transfer of the amount payable from the buyer's    account 41 to the supplier's account 42.-   Step S10 Perform transfer processing from the buyer's account 41 to    the supplier's account 42 in the banking facility 40.-   Step S10′ Obtain information relating to the fund transfer from the    banking facility 40.-   Step S11 Store the information relating to the fund transfer.-   Step S12 Prepare a report for each transaction.-   Step S13 Transmit the order contents and contents of the settlement    processing result to the buyer's fax machine 12 and the supplier's    fax machine 14 as a report.-   Step S14 Prepare a report at the end of the term.-   Step S15 Transmit a report for each term to the buyer's fax machine    12.-   Step S16 Transmit a report for each term to the supplier's fax    machine 14.

As described above, in this embodiment, when the buyer 11 transmits theorder contents by fax to the FAX order receiving and placing settlementservice center 20, to place an order for purchase goods, the supplier 13receives the order contents by fax from the FAX order receiving andplacing settlement service center 20, thereby to accept the order forthe purchase goods. The FAX order receiving and placing settlementservice center 20 requests the settlement processing of the account forthe purchase goods to the banking facility 40, stores and manages theorder contents and the settlement processing result for the purchasegoods, and transmits a report including the order contents, thesettlement processing result for the purchase goods and the like by faxto the buyer 11 and the supplier 13.

Therefore, it is not necessary for the supplier 13 to prepare a bill forthe purchase goods and send it, and the amount of money for the purchasegoods is automatically transferred to his/her own account. Moreover, thebuyer 11 can place an order for the purchase goods, without requiring toconfirm the bill, or to go through the procedure for transferring theamount of money for the purchase goods to the supplier's account 42 ofthe supplier 13. As a result, the labor and cost required for the buyer11 to place an order and for the supplier 13 to receive the order can bereduced. Further, since the order contents are transferred by fax, asecurity problem does not occur.

A second embodiment of the present invention will be described below.Explanation for like configuration and like operation as those of thefirst embodiment is omitted.

FIG. 5 is a conceptual diagram of a FAX order receiving and placingsettlement system in the second embodiment of the present invention.FIG. 6 is a functional block diagram of a FAX order receiving andplacing settlement service center in the second embodiment of thepresent invention.

In this embodiment, the buyer 11 and the supplier 13 respectively have abuyer's L mode (R) fax machine 51 and a supplier's L mode (R) faxmachine 52, which are fax machines conforming to the fixed phoneInternet service, that is, L mode (R), as the own fax machine. The Lmode (R) stands for the fixed phone Internet service provided by phonecompanies such as K.K. NTT Docomo and the like, by which variousservices in the Internet can be received and transfer of electronicmails can be performed by using a fixed phone or a fax machine. In thiscase, the buyer's L mode (R) fax machine 51 and the supplier's L mode(R) fax machine 52 respectively have a display screen 51 a and a displayscreen 52 a, that can input or display the orderer (the buyer 11 or thesupplier 13), the ordered products (purchase goods), the ordered amountand the like as the order contents, as shown in FIG. 5.

The public network 15 in this embodiment includes the Internet 56 as thenetwork shown in FIG. 6. The supplier 13 comprises an informationterminal 53 as a computer capable of connecting to the Internet 56, andcomprising arithmetic means such as a CPU or an MPU, storage means suchas a semiconductor memory or a magnetic disk, display means such as aCRT, a liquid crystal display or a light emitting diode (LED) display,and a communication interface. The information terminal 53 is forexample a personal computer, and may be any kind of devices such as apersonal digital assistant (PDA), an electronic note, a mobile phone, apersonal handy-phone system (PHS) phone, a game machine or a digital TV,which can perform transfer of e-mails, data communications and the likeby connecting to the Internet 56.

The FAX order receiving and placing settlement service server 21 in thisembodiment has a mail transmission processing section 54 and a Webserver 55. The mail transmission processing section 54 receives datafrom the remittance management section 28, prepares an electronic mailincluding the items to be informed to the buyer 11 or the supplier 13,and transmits the mail to the buyer's L mode (R) fax machine 51, thesupplier's L mode (R) fax machine 52 or the information terminal 53 viathe Internet 56. The Web server 55 receives data from the remittancemanagement section 28, and opens a Web page that can be accessed throughthe Internet 56. The Web page includes a Web page displayed on thedisplay screen 51 a of the buyer's L mode (R) fax machine 51, in whichthe orderer, the ordered products, the ordered amount and the like canbe input as the order contents. The buyer 11 and the supplier 13 canbrowse the Web page, or input the orderer, the ordered products, theordered amount and the like in the Web page, by operating the buyer's Lmode (R) fax machine 51, the supplier's L mode (R) fax machine 52 or theinformation terminal 53. In this embodiment, the FAX receptionprocessing section 24 not only receives the order sheet transmitted byfax from the buyer's L mode (R) fax machine 51, and analyzes thecontents in the order sheet and stores the contents as data, but alsoobtains the e-mail address included in the information of the buyer 11,and stored in the remitting company database 32.

The FAX order receiving and placing settlement service server 21 isconnected to the order contents database 35 included in the FAX orderreceiving and placing settlement service center 20. The order contentsdatabase 35 stores the order contents, and the remittance managementsection 28 accesses the order contents database 35, to obtain and storethe necessary information.

The operation of the FAX order receiving and placing settlement system10 having the above configuration will be described below.

FIG. 7 illustrates the operation of the FAX order receiving and placingsettlement system in the second embodiment of the present invention.FIG. 8 is a sequence diagram illustrating the operation of the FAX orderreceiving and placing settlement system in the second embodiment of thepresent invention.

In this embodiment, it is assumed that the buyer 11 and the supplier 13have already registered their e-mail addresses as the information, inthe FAX order receiving and placing settlement service center 20. Atfirst, the buyer 11 allows the buyer's L mode (R) fax machine 51 to readan authority sheet 17, and as shown by arrow 1 in FIG. 7, to transmit itto the FAX order receiving and placing settlement service center 20. Onthis authority sheet 17, any items may be written.

Subsequently, when having received the fax data on the authority sheet17, the FAX order receiving and placing settlement service server 21 inthe FAX order receiving and placing settlement service center 20accesses the remitting company database 32, as shown by arrow 2 in FIG.7, based on the phone number of the buyer's L mode (R) fax machine 51,which has transmitted the fax data on the authority sheet 17, to obtainthe e-mail address of the buyer 11. In the remitting company database32, in addition to the e-mail address, information of the buyer 11 suchas the phone number of the buyer's L mode (R) fax machine 51, theaccount number of the buyer's account 41 opened in the banking facility40, the password and the like is stored beforehand.

The FAX order receiving and placing settlement service server 21 thentransmits an e-mail describing the URL (Uniform Resource Locator) of theWeb page, in which the orderer, the ordered products, the ordered amountand the like can be input, to the buyer 11, as shown by arrow 3 in FIG.7. The buyer 11 then operates the buyer's L mode (R) fax machine 51, toaccess the URL, as shown by arrow 4 in FIG. 7, to obtain the Web pageopened in the Web server 55 of the FAX order receiving and placingsettlement service server 21, so that the Web page is displayed on thedisplay screen 51 a of the buyer's L mode (R) fax machine 51. The buyer11 then inputs the order receiver, the ordered products, ordered amountand the like in the Web page. As in the first embodiment, input may beperformed by writing the order receiver, the ordered products, orderedamount and the like in the order sheet 16 as the order contents, andallowing the buyer's L mode (R) fax machine 51 to read the contents.Subsequently, the buyer 11 operates the buyer's L mode (R) fax machine51 to send back the Web page, in which the order receiver, the orderedproducts, ordered amount and the like are input, to the FAX orderreceiving and placing settlement service server 21. As a result, thebuyer 11 places an order for the purchase goods. The buyer 11 may selectthe date and time when the money transfer is to be executed, by writingthe date and time in the order sheet 16.

The FAX order receiving and placing settlement service server 21 storesthe order contents in the order contents database 35, as shown by arrow5 in FIG. 7. The FAX order receiving and placing settlement serviceserver 21 also adds an order number to each of the received orders. Theorder contents are stored in the order contents database 35, togetherwith the order number, the received date and time, and information suchas summary. As a result, the buyer 11 can search the order stored in theorder contents database 35 by specifying the order number. Moreover,according to need, the order contents can be returned to the buyer's Lmode (R) fax machine 51 by fax or by an e-mal. Further, the FAX orderreceiving and placing settlement service server 21 can insert the ordercontents in the Web page opened in the Web server 55.

The FAX order receiving and placing settlement service server 21 thenspecifies the supplier 13 based on the order receiver, and as shown byarrow 6 in FIG. 7, accesses the receiving company database 33 to obtainthe information such as the account number of the supplier's account 42opened in the banking facility 40, the phone number of the supplier's Lmode (R) fax machine 52, and the e-mail address.

Subsequently, the FAX order receiving and placing settlement serviceserver 21 transmits the fax data of the order contents, as shown byarrow 7 in FIG. 7, to the supplier's L mode (R) fax machine 52 via thepublic network 15. The supplier's L mode (R) fax machine 52 issues anorder sheet 16 on which the order contents are printed. As a result, thesupplier 13 accepts the order for the purchase goods.

The FAX order receiving and placing settlement service server 21 maytransmit an e-mail describing the URL of the Web page, in which theorder contents are written, to the supplier's L mode (R) fax machine 52or the information terminal 53. In this case, the supplier 13 operatesthe supplier's L mode (R) fax machine 52 or the information terminal 53,to access the URL, as shown by arrow 8 in FIG. 7, to obtain the Web pageopened in the Web server 55 in the FAX order receiving and placingsettlement service server 21, so that the Web page is displayed on thedisplay screen 52 a of the supplier's L mode (R) fax machine 52 ordisplay means of the information terminal 53. In this case, the supplier13 browses the display screen 52 a of the supplier's L mode (R) faxmachine 52 or the information terminal 53 to accept the order for thepurchase goods. The supplier's L mode (R) fax machine 52 may issue theorder sheet 16 on which the order contents displayed on the displayscreen 52 a are printed.

The FAX order receiving and placing settlement service server 21transmits a transfer request for the amount corresponding to the priceof the purchase goods from the buyer's account 41 to the supplier'saccount 42, as shown by arrow 9 in FIG. 7, to the banking facility 40via the ANSER (R) center 43. Information such as the account number andthe password of the buyer's account 41, and the account number of thesupplier's account 42 is also added to the transfer request. As aresult, as shown by arrow 10 in FIG. 7, in the banking facility 40, theamount corresponding to the price of the purchase goods is transferredfrom the buyer's account 41 to the supplier's account 42.

Subsequently, the FAX order receiving and placing settlement serviceserver 21 obtains the result of the fund transfer via the ANSER (R)center 43, as shown by arrow 10′ in FIG. 7, and accesses the remittancemanagement database 34 to store the information relating to the movementof fund by the transfer from the buyer's account 41 to the supplier'saccount 42, as shown by arrow 11 in FIG. 7. The information includes theorder number of the order sheet 16, the name of the buyer 11 as aremitter, the name of the supplier 13 as a receiver, the date and timewhen the transaction has occurred, the transferred amount, and itemssuch as summary.

Subsequently, the FAX order receiving and placing settlement serviceserver 21 prepares a report including the order contents and thesettlement processing result for the ordered purchase goods, and asshown by arrow 12 in FIG. 7, transmits the report to the buyer's L mode(R) fax machine 51 via the public network 15. The report includes thetransmission status of the order sheet 16, the order contents, the nameof the supplier 13, the date and time when the transaction has occurred,the transfer result, and items such as summary. A report similar to thisreport may be transmitted to the supplier's L mode (R) fax machine 52.The IVR section 26 may inform the buyer 11 of the contents in the reportby speech, or the mail transmission processing section 54 may transmitan e-mail describing the report to the buyer's L mode (R) fax machine51.

The FAX order receiving and placing settlement service server 21prepares a report including the order contents and the settlementprocessing result for the ordered purchase goods for each of thepredetermined terms, and as shown by arrows 13 and 14 in FIG. 7,transmits the report to the buyer's L mode (R) fax machine 51 and thesupplier's L mode (R) fax machine 52 via the public network 15. In thiscase, the report is prepared and transmitted at each end of thepredetermined terms, for example, one month, three months or six months,for accounting and settlement of account. The report to the buyer 11includes the name of the supplier 13, the date and time when thetransaction has occurred within the term, the transfer result, and itemssuch as summary. The report to the supplier 13 includes the name of thebuyer 11, the date and time when the transaction has occurred within theterm, the transfer result, and items such as summary. The FAX orderreceiving and placing settlement service server 21 may transmit ane-mail describing the report to the buyer's L mode (R) fax machine 51and the supplier's L mode (R) fax machine 52.

The FAX order receiving and placing settlement service server 21 mayinsert the report in the Web page opened in the Web server 55, andtransmit the URL of the Web page to the buyer's L mode (R) fax machineand the supplier's L mode (R) fax machine 52, or the informationterminal 53. In this case, the buyer 11 and the supplier 13 operates thebuyer's L mode (R) fax machine and the supplier's L mode (R) fax machine52, or the information terminal 53, to access the URL to obtain the Webpage opened in the Web server 55 in the FAX order receiving and placingsettlement service server 21.

When cancellation of order or change in the order contents, that is,cancellation or change of the transaction is to be made due to somecircumstances, the buyer 11 can transmit an instruction relating to thecancellation or change of the transaction at any time, from the buyer'sL mode (R) fax machine 51 to the FAX order receiving and placingsettlement service server 21. In this case, the buyer 11 needs tospecify the transaction by the order number. It is desired that theremittance management section 28 in the FAX order receiving and placingsettlement service server 21 make cancellation or change of thetransaction, after having obtained the approval of the supplier 13. Thebuyer 11 may inform the IVR section 26 of the instruction relating tothe cancellation or change of the transaction by speech.

Likewise, the supplier 13 can transmit an instruction relating tocancellation or change of the transaction at any time, from thesupplier's L mode (R) fax machine 52 to the FAX order receiving andplacing settlement service server 21. In this case, the supplier 13needs to specify the transaction by the order number. It is desired thatthe remittance management section 28 in the FAX order receiving andplacing settlement service server 21 make cancellation or change of thetransaction, after having obtained the approval of the buyer 11. Thesupplier 13 may inform the IVR section 26 of the instruction relating tothe cancellation or change of the transaction by speech.

The sequence diagram will be described below.

-   Step S21 The buyer 11 transmits the authority sheet 17 to the FAX    order receiving and placing settlement service center 20 by the    buyer's L mode (R) fax machine 51.-   Step S22 Specify the e-mail address based on the phone number of the    buyer's L mode (R) fax machine 51, being the sender, from the    remitting company database 32.-   Step S23 Transmit an e-mail describing the URL of the Web page for    inputting the order information to the buyer 11.-   Step S24 The buyer 11 accesses the URL to allow the Web page to be    displayed and input the order contents.-   Step S25 Store the order contents in the order contents database 35,    and add an order number to each order.-   Step S26 Obtain information such as the account number of the    supplier's account 42, the phone number of the supplier's L mode (R)    fax machine 52, the e-mail address and the like from the receiving    company database 33.-   Step S27 Transmit the fax data of the order contents. Alternatively,    transmit an e-mail describing the URL in which the order contents    are stored.-   Step S28 When having received the e-mail, access the URL for    confirmation of the order information.-   Step S29 Request a transfer of the amount payable from the buyer's    account 41 to the supplier's account 42.-   Step S30 The banking facility 40 performs transfer processing from    the buyer's account 41 to the supplier's account 42.-   Step S30′ Obtain information relating to the fund transfer from the    banking-facility 40.-   Step S31 Store information relating to the fund transfer.-   Step S32 Prepare a report for each transaction.-   Step S33 Transmit and report the order contents and the content of    the settlement processing result to the buyer's L mode (R) fax    machine 51.-   Step S34 Prepare a report at the end of the term.-   Step S35 Transmit a report for each term to the buyer's L mode (R)    fax machine 51.-   Step S36 Transmit a report for each term to the supplier's L    mode (R) fax machine 52.

As described above, in this embodiment, the buyer 11 and the supplier 13respectively use the buyer's L mode (R) fax machine 51 and thesupplier's L mode (R) fax machine 52, which are fax machines adapted forthe L mode (R). Therefore, reception and placement of order for thepurchase goods can be performed by fax or by using an e-mail or a Webpage. As a result, the buyer 11 and the supplier 13 can receive or placean order for the purchase goods, by selecting the most convenient means.

In the first and the second embodiments, explanation has been given fora case where settlement processing of the account for the purchase goodsis performed by transferring money from the buyer's account 41 to thesupplier's account 42 opened in the banking facility 40. However, thesettlement processing may be any type of settlement processing, such ascredit settlement processing using a credit card or the like, settlementprocessing using an electronic money, or settlement processing using anet settlement system in which a settlement service organizationexecutes the settlement processing as a proxy.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and canbe modified variously based on the purport of the present invention, andthese modifications are not excluded from the scope of the presentinvention.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

As described above in detail, according to the present invention, whenreception and placement of an order for purchase goods are performed byusing facsimile, settlement of account is automatically performed.Therefore, it is not necessary for the supplier to prepare and send abill, or go to the buyer directly. The buyer is not required to confirmthe bill or go through the procedure for transferring money to thesupplier's account. The supplier is not required to confirm the payment.As a result, reception and placement of orders for the purchase goodscan be made easily, the cost thereof can be reduced, and security inreceiving and placing orders for the purchase goods can be improved.

1. A FAX order receiving and placing settlement system comprising: (a) afax machine of a buyer who places an order for purchase goods orservices; (b) a fax machine of a supplier who receives the order forpurchase goods or services; (c) a settlement organization which performssettlement processing of the account for the purchase goods or services;and (d) a FAX order receiving and placing settlement service centerconnected to the buyer's fax machine, the supplier's fax machine and thesettlement organization so as to be able to communicate with oneanother, (e) wherein the FAX order receiving and placing settlementservice center transmits order information to the supplier's fax machinebased on order information received from the buyer's fax machine,requests the settlement organization to perform settlement processing ofthe account for the purchase goods or services, and returns a reportincluding the result of the settlement processing to the buyer's faxmachine and the supplier's fax machine.
 2. The FAX order receiving andplacing settlement system according to claim 1, wherein the buyer's faxmachine or the supplier's fax machine conforms to the fixed phoneInternet service.
 3. The FAX order receiving and placing settlementsystem according to claim 1, wherein the FAX order receiving and placingsettlement service center comprises databases for storing orderreception information, the order placement information, and settlementprocessing results, and transmits a report including the settlementprocessing results within a predetermined term, to the buyer's faxmachine or the supplier's fax machine.
 4. The FAX order receiving andplacing settlement system according to claim 1, wherein the FAX orderreceiving and placing settlement service center comprises a buyer andsupplier registration management AP section, for registering in advanceand managing information of a buyer and a supplier who has dealings withthe buyer.
 5. The FAX order receiving and placing settlement systemaccording to claim 1, wherein the FAX order receiving and placingsettlement service center comprises a FAX reception processing sectionand a FAX transmission processing section, for analyzing fax data in areceived order sheet by using an OCR function, and returning the faxdata to the buyer's fax machine for confirmation.
 6. The FAX orderreceiving and placing settlement system according to claim 1, whereinthe FAX order receiving and placing settlement service center comprisesa remittance management section, and when the buyer transmits aninstruction relating to cancellation or change of order placement fromthe fax machine or by phone, the FAX order receiving and placingsettlement service center cancels or changes the transaction.
 7. The FAXorder receiving and placing settlement system according to of claim 1,wherein the FAX order receiving and placing settlement service centercomprises a remittance management section, and when the suppliertransmits an instruction relating to cancellation or change of orderplacement from the fax machine or by phone, the FAX order receiving andplacing settlement service center cancels or changes the transaction. 8.The FAX order receiving and placing settlement system according to claim1, wherein, in a case where the buyer's fax machine conforms to thefixed phone Internet service, when the buyer transmits fax data on anauthority sheet to the FAX order receiving and placing settlementservice center, the FAX order receiving and placing settlement servicecenter obtains an e-mail address of the buyer based on the receivedphone number, and performs authentication of the buyer by transmittingan e-mail to the buyer.
 9. The FAX order receiving and placingsettlement system according to claim 1, wherein, in a case where thebuyer's fax machine conforms to the fixed phone Internet service, andwhen the buyer transmits fax data on an authority sheet to the FAX orderreceiving and placing settlement service center, the FAX order receivingand placing settlement service center obtains an e-mail address of thebuyer based on the received phone number, and transmits an e-maildescribing the URL of a Web page, in which an orderer, an orderedproducts, an ordered amount and the like can be input, to the buyer, andthe buyer places an order by inputting the data into the Web page.
 10. AFAX order receiving and placing settlement service center comprising:(a) a reception processing section which receives order information forpurchase goods or services from a buyer's fax machine, analyzes andstores the information in database; (b) a transmission processingsection which transmits the order information for purchase goods orservices to a supplier's fax machine; and (c) a settlement organizationcommunication interface section communicating with a settlementorganization which performs settlement processing of the account for thepurchase goods or services, (d) wherein the FAX order receiving andplacing settlement service center transmits the order information to thesupplier's fax machine based on the order information, requests thesettlement organization to perform settlement processing of the accountfor the purchase goods or services, and returns a report including thesettlement processing result to the buyer's fax machine and thesupplier's fax machine.
 11. The FAX order receiving and placingsettlement service center according to claim 10, comprising a remittancemanagement section which manages the movement of funds based on thesettlement processing, and remittance management database for storingthe history of the movement of funds.
 12. The FAX order receiving andplacing settlement service center according to claim 10, which transmitsa report including the result of the settlement processing within apredetermined term to the buyer's fax machine or the supplier's faxmachine.
 13. A FAX order receiving and placing settlement serviceprogram which causes a computer to function as: (a) in order to receiveor place an order for purchase goods or services and settle the account,(b) a reception processing section which receives order information forpurchase goods or services from a buyer's fax machine; (c) atransmission processing section which transmits the order informationfor purchase goods or services to a supplier's fax machine; and (d) asettlement organization communication interface section communicatingwith a settlement organization which performs settlement processing ofthe account for the purchase goods or services, in order to receive orplace an order for purchase goods or services and settle the account,(e) so that the order information is transmitted to the supplier's faxmachine based on the order information, settlement processing of theaccount for the purchase goods or services is requested to thesettlement organization, and a report including the settlementprocessing result is returned to the buyer's fax machine and thesupplier's fax machine.
 14. A FAX order receiving and placing settlementmethod, wherein, (a) when order information is received from a faxmachine of a buyer who places an order for purchase goods or services,(b) the order information is transmitted to a fax machine of a supplierwho receives the order for purchase goods or services, (c) settlementprocessing of the account for the purchase goods or services isrequested to a settlement organization, and (d) a report including thesettlement processing result is returned to the buyer's fax machine orthe supplier's fax machine.
 15. The FAX order receiving and placingsettlement system according to claim 2, wherein the FAX order receivingand placing settlement service center comprises databases for storingorder reception information, the order placement information, andsettlement processing results, and transmits a report including thesettlement processing results within a predetermined term, to thebuyer's fax machine or the supplier's fax machine.
 16. The FAX orderreceiving and placing settlement system according to claim 2, whereinthe FAX order receiving and placing settlement service center comprisesa buyer and supplier registration management AP section, for registeringin advance and managing information of a buyer and a supplier who hasdealings with the buyer.
 17. The FAX order receiving and placingsettlement system according to claim 2, wherein the FAX order receivingand placing settlement service center comprises a FAX receptionprocessing section and a FAX transmission processing section, foranalyzing fax data in a received order sheet by using an OCR function,and returning the fax data to the buyer's fax machine for confirmation.18. The FAX order receiving and placing settlement system according toclaim 2, wherein the FAX order receiving and placing settlement servicecenter comprises a remittance management section, and when the buyertransmits an instruction relating to cancellation or change of orderplacement from the fax machine or by phone, the FAX order receiving andplacing settlement service center cancels or changes the transaction.19. The FAX order receiving and placing settlement system according toof claim 2, wherein the FAX order receiving and placing settlementservice center comprises a remittance management section, and when thesupplier transmits an instruction relating to cancellation or change oforder placement from the fax machine or by phone, the FAX orderreceiving and placing settlement service center cancels or changes thetransaction.
 20. The FAX order receiving and placing settlement systemaccording to claim 2, wherein, in a case where the buyer's fax machineconforms to the fixed phone Internet service, when the buyer transmitsfax data on an authority sheet to the FAX order receiving and placingsettlement service center, the FAX order receiving and placingsettlement service center obtains an e-mail address of the buyer basedon the received phone number, and performs authentication of the buyerby transmitting an e-mail to the buyer.